After reviewing ‘Winterschatten’, the great last work by German band Vinterriket. I thought it was about time to talk a little about the things that happened since last interview, last year. I asked the man several questions about the music, the scene and his main influences, and of course about NeoDawn that threw in the towel on the first of March this year!
So, good to talk to you again. Last interview was over a year old. Were there some big changes in the life of Vinterriket?
Hello Felix. Yea, it was over a year ago when I’ve talked the last time to the Vampires. No, absolutely no changes concerning Vinterriket. Just a few new releases have seen the light of day during the last year. Besides this I am still busy writing music for upcoming releases.
Vinterriket is a name a lot of people know because of the enormously big amount of releases. Is there a special reason why you release so much Vinterriket items, in a small amount on a lot of different labels?
No, there is no special reason for this. You know, I am creating music for myself, for nobody else. If others like my art, ok. If not I do not care. I love creating music very much. I am spending several hours a day creating new songs. Because of that a lot of tracks arise, how you can imagine. If labels are interested to release the stuff: Why not? But I always want to keep the releases limited and (if possible) handnumbered, too. I am not producing music for the masses. If people are really interested in the music and if people really want to get the releases, they will. By handling things this way you secure that only people who are really interested in the stuff get the releases.
You often release Vinterriket items on analogue media, like tapes and vinyl. Is there a special reason for this?
Yea, a lot of Vinyl and tapes have been released throughout the last years. I like Vinyl very much! Demotapes, too. This is the only reason. But the most important thing is “High quality”. This stands above all. I hate shitty demotapes or shitty vinyls. About the sound and about the vinyl fitting to the music: It depends. Some stuff sounds better on Vinyl, some better in digital form (CD). Some tracks are much better on Vinyl than on CD. Some the other way round. So, I simply think that it is different from band to band and from release to release. There is also no special reason why I did so many (split) 7″ EP’s. It was just the way it turned out. Friendship with other bands/ projects and so on. It simply happened. There is no special reason for this.
In the last interview you told us something about your political ideas, and the situation in Germany. Do you have problems with the situation in the society as it is now? And maybe, did the situation change?
Yes, politics,… this is an endless topic. I try to separate politics and music as good as I can. It is quite popular these days to mix politics with music. But I refuse to do this. Both are two different topics. It became a trend to mix politics with music. Many of those bands do it because they are simply unable to catch the listeners attention by music only. Therefore they’re telling a lot of shit within interviews and so on. But I do not care at all. If they want to mix it they shall do it. I give a shit about it. But as I said, I try to separate both themes as good as I can. Therefore I do not want to give any political statements here. I am interested in politics, yes. A lot is going wrong these days. Too many to mention at all. Books could be filled with this topics. Yes, I am very very unsatisfied with the political situation in Germany these days. Nothing has changed…
Also from the older interview, you talked about your influences. You said you hated nearly all music except for blackmetal and ambient. Could you tell us what your favourite bands are? If you have any…
No, this is not true. I have just told that I dislike Punk, Hardcore, Death Metal, Grindcore, Hip Hop and so on. I will explain you why. I am listening to a lot of music each day. There is no special album that stands above everything. There are really a lot albums which are great in my eyes and which are very important to me, but I do not want to mention them. “Important” is probably the wrong word. Let’s better say “which are my favourite ones”. I am listening to a lot of different music styles, too. Ambient, some old Black Metal, Industrial- stuff, experimental stuff, futuristic stuff, Classic and so on. There are just some parameters which should be fulfilled in all those different styles: Coldness, grimness, melancholy, atmosphere and originality! This is the most important thing. You see, Hardcore, Punk, DM, and so on do not have those parameters! The music should be able to catch my mind, to be able to “move the soul” and to be able to get myself into the “correct mood”, if you understand what I mean. Music is my all and everything, there’s nothing to say more about this topic. There are a lot of amazing bands around which are able to catch my attention. Most of those bands are very original, full of progression and individuality. I hate bands copying other bands or bands sounding like thousands of others. I do not want to mention any names. Too much, actually. Yes, I am a big fan of Ambient / Industrial music. There are also many amazing acts around. I am also into Classic music. But there is no special “special greatest componist” which I’d like to mention. I always listen to special tracks of each one. Edvard Grieg for example has created many excellent dark and melancholic hymns!
Is there a link between your (political) ideas and other thoughts between the fact where you live in Germany? The attitudes of the people there are very different then from other Germans (more traditional and religious).
Of course there is a link between the political attitude and the country where you live. May it be Germany or the Netherlands or what else. People from Africa for example are probably thinking different… In every country there are right-winged, left- winged, “normal ones” and so on. This is nothing special. But as I have explained above, I do not want to mix politics with music. Therefore I’ll not tell a lot about this theme.
And there is more nature then in other parts of Germany. And since nature is the biggest influence on you and your music, this has to be very important. You often hear that bands take their biggest influence from nature (for example Ildjarn), can you explain this?
You are right. Germany has a lot of great places in nature and the dark side of nature is Vinterriket’s main source of inspiration. Besides this, I am not living far away from Austria/ Switzerland. Both countries also have an amazing nature. I think there are not that many bands around who’s main source of inspiration is nature. I have no explanation for this. I can just speak for myself. The dark side of Nature is the most impressing thing on earth, at least for me.
About the music again. Sometime it seemed that you were just into Ambient and not into blackmetal anymore, because you put out so many ambiental releases. Is there a specific reason for this? Or was it just the way it went?
Yea, sometimes I create more Metal- related tracks, sometimes pure dark Ambient soundscapes. It depends on my mood. There is really no special reason behind it. It is possible to create cold, dark, moody and atmospheric music with both of the styles. I just felt to do so.
You recently released a new album called “Winterschatten”. I reviewed it some days ago, I thought it was a real good album. There was some kind of a split feeling on the CD, between the harsh blackmetal songs and the ambiental part of the CD. Did you have special reason why you put it this way?
Yes, a new full-length CD called “Winterschatten” was just released a few weeks ago by Desolate Landscapes (Scotland) and Ketzer Records (Germany). The CD features both, Ambient- stuff as well as songs with guitars, drums, vocals, etc. I avoid to use the term “Black Metal” here. 45 minutes playing- time. The CD is a conceptional album dealing with the coming, the presence and the darkness of the winter- season. The first two, more Metal- related tracks, stand for the cruel and sudden arrival of winter (Track one means translated something like “snowstorm/ onset of the white darkness”. They reflect the cruelness. The other tracks stand for the cold presence of winter (for example the last track means “the eternal ice”). Layout, music and lyrics are going hand in hand. The Ambient- songs on the new CD are also more atmospheric and more simple than on the 1st full-length “…und die Nacht…”. More cold and more desolate. Not that orchestrated and symphonic. The new CD is, of course, limited and handnumbered (1000 copies) and comes with special packing. MC-version is also released now. The vinyl- version is something very special this time: The album was released as 3-7″EP- Box, including three inlays, three art-cards (kind of postcards). The vinyls itself are white, black and white/black- marbled. Out on Ketzer Records (Germany) since a few weeks.
I’m not really into the Dark Ambient scene, actually. How are things going there? Do you have any recommendations?
The current Ambient scene is stronger and bigger than ever. I listen to a lot of Ambient- stuff, actually, as I’ve told above. Too many bands to mention. Of course I like almost all the Cold Meat Industry-stuff. I also listen to more underground- ambient. Very good bands are, for example: NORTHAUNT (NOR), ARCANA (SWE/on Cold Meat), PUISSANCE (SWE), SVARTSINN (NOR), PREDOMINANCE (GER), APOPTOSE (GER), KAMMARHEIT (SWE), …. This is only the top of the mountain, so to speak.
Are you currently busy with other projects too?
Currently not. But there are some future- plans to start another project. The first release with the new project will be out in early 2004, I think. But it is too early to tell more. But this means not the end of Vinterriket. The nature- thing will sooner or later disappear, I am quite sure about this. There will be a point when I’ll turn towards other themes/subjects and where it is time to stop hailing nature, if you understand what I mean. When I’ll change the subjects/themes I’ll probably start another project. But I am not sure. Maybe I’ll continue with Vinterriket but with other topics. Progression is very important for me. Because of that I’ll not do the same for dozens of years. The nature- theme has been present on ALL my releases so far. But this will come to an end sooner or later.
Then onto another subject. You quit with your – well going – label NeoDawn Productions. Why? Things were going well, did you have any problems? Is there any chance that you get yourself involved in another label in the future?
Yes, you are right: Neodawn is officially closed since 01.03.2003 – completely and forever. The small mailorder has already been closed about a half year before, too. It was a cool time when I was running Neodawn. A lot of great releases have seen the light of day through Neodawn: Legion (SWE), Necroplasma (SWE), Crowhead (NOR), Bloodline (SWE), … But I came to a point where it was impossible to run Neodawn and Vinterriket together (at the same time) properly. Neodawn was indeed very well going and the label became bigger and bigger. It was clear that one of both (Vinterriket / Neodawn) had to be stopped. And, of course, I decided to stop Neodawn without even thinking about it. You know, time is strictly limited these days and the only thing I want to do is making music, nothing else. In the future I’ll totally concentrate on Vinterriket. I simply had no lust, no energy and no time for Neodawn anymore. This is the only reason why the label was shut down. There are a lot of rumours around about the closing,… But those mentioned reasons are the only explanation. All future- Vinterriket-releases will also be out on other labels. We’ll see… No, I’ll not get involved to another label, I think. 4 or 5 years ago I was working with Ketzer Records btw, as you maybe know.
And not the least important while talking to a band like Vinterriket, what can we expect in the future? Another great load of 7”-es, tapes and other great items? Any new participation on tribute CDs, like you did for the Burzum-tribute.
The mentioned BURZUM- tribute CD has never been released ‘cause Deathcult Productions (SWE) who wanted to release this 2- CD dropped the idea. I think the label is even no longer existing anyway, so,… But I do not care. About the future of Vinterriket: I am busy writing music for some new releases planned in 2003 these days. There’ll probably come a new (special!) 7” EP in summer and a split CD with the Swedish project FENRIA (a project feat. Sasrof (ex- SETHERIAL/DIABOLICUM/BLOODLINE) in the end of 2003. The next full-length CD will come somewhen in early 2004, I think. But it is too early to tell something about the style, the titles, labels and so on. We’ll see what the future will bring. Vinterriket will develop, this is quite sure. In the future I will even have more time to create music, cause I have quit my label Neodawn as I have explained above.
Thanks a lot for this great interview, and do you have any last words for everyone interested?
Nothing to add to the interview I think,… Thanx for the interview and the support Felix! All the best for your label and Vampire Mag! Germaniac hails. www.vinterriket.com
